Battle of Albuera

Battle context

The Battle of Albuera was fought near the village of Albuera, roughly 20 kilometres south of Badajoz, as a mixed British, Spanish, and Portuguese corps under Beresford and Blake engaged elements of Soult's armée du Midi. The engagement was one of the costliest actions of the Peninsular War in proportion to forces engaged: Allied casualties reached between roughly 5,900 and 7,000 men, and French losses ran from approximately 5,900 to as many as 7,900. The battle was directly linked to the contest for Badajoz, a frontier fortress whose control was central to the strategic corridor between Spain and Portugal. The concentration of two senior French commanders, Soult and Girard, against an Allied force that still outnumbered them on paper underscores the operational pressure each side placed on the Badajoz approaches during this phase of the Peninsular campaign.